A Day Trip to Howth

On a brisk January day my roommates and I set out from our flat to Pearse Station, the DART station next to Trinity in the city center. The DART, is a train that runs outside the city to several seaside towns, including our destination for the day, Howth. The Howth trip was one of the IES sponsored excursions outside Dublin. After the usual confusion of assembling a group of young adults, we all boarded the DART bound for the seaside village of Howth. The train ride was short and passed quickly, and soon we were off from the train station walking toward the Howth harbor. We paused to take photos in front of an inlet with houses situated up on the cliffs, and then took off for our hike up to the Howth Cliffs.



We walked up the steep streets to the path which wound its way around the cliffs.



Above, Maggie walks the path around Howth Cliffs.

The views from the path were absolutely stunning, and the hustle and bustle of Dublin, only a short journey away, was soon forgotten.



Eventually we rounded the path and traversed over a stone staircase, weathered into the path.


What started as a chilly January day had transformed into a brisk and sunny day on our lengthy hike. The sun was so bright it almost impeded my ability to take photos, as for a majority of the journey we were walking directly into the sun, with nothing but blue sky and blue ocean ahead. Once we rounded a few more turns, we ended up at an overlook above a pennisula stretching out past the cliffs, with a lighthouse poised at the bottom.




As we passed the lighthouse we turned to walk back on the path towards town, where we got lunch at O'Connell's. The trip was one of the highlights of my experiences here in Ireland so far, and I look forward to hopefully going back to explore Howth further.

An Introduction to Ireland

Here are a few photos from my travels so far. I'd say the highlight of my initial experiences thus far has been going to the seaside town of Wicklow, and walking up to an overlook with a small cliff strewn beach and viking ruins, from which you can see the whole city (see my coastal photos below). Walking around Dublin has also been a source of particular interest, seeing the different neighborhoods and the amazing architecture. The city of Dublin is extremely vibrant and welcoming, and has places to explore around every corner. Since being here I've gotten to see the Long Room at Trinity College (below), St. Stephen's Green, The National Art Gallery, Wicklow Gaol, Glendalough Monastery, a show at the Abbey Theater, and several other places. The Trinity College campus is absolutely beautiful, and I can't believe I will actually get to be taking classes there starting this week. 

Long Room at Trinity College Dublin

Above: A purple door in Dublin
Right: Cliffs at Wicklow

Above: Baggot Street in Dublin
Right: Entrance to St. Stephen's Green in Dublin

Above: Cliffs at Wicklow
Right: M and L section of the Old Library at Trinity

Left:
Steps in Viking ruins in Wicklow

Right: Glendalough Lake

Pre-Departure: The Waiting Game

As I sit down to write this post, it is December 31, 2014, and I am at my gate at the San Francisco airport waiting to board from San Francisco to Cleveland, Ohio. After spending 5 days in sunny California with my mom, sister, new step-dad, and step-brother, I am bound for home, and then, Dublin, Ireland. I will be leaving my friends, family, home college, and home country, to study at Trinity College Dublin for almost five months. Reflecting on my year in 2014, it was filled with much change. My mother moved from Cleveland to San Francisco with her fiancé, and got married. My sister is now a legal adult (watch out!), and I completed my sophomore year of college, marking the halfway point in my collegiate experience. It was a year that took many turns, started off on a negative foot in the harsh winter of Rochester, New York, but with the renewing nature of the spring, lead into a cheerful summer and fall which held happy memories, new friends, and a successful first, and only, semester at the University of Rochester for my junior year. The year held a transformative quality, marking a significant turn around in the way I see the world and relate to others. Given this year of change, it seems strange to think that 2015 could whole even bigger changes. 

As I sat at my favorite restaurant (Barrio in Tremont, Ohio) with my father last weekend and we talked about my eminent departure, I brought up a concept which I think is fitting to discuss in this post. I talked about the strange feeling one gets when waiting to embark on a journey which as identified by so many others will be life changing. Often life changing events hit us when we least expect it. With studying abroad, however, it is more like you are standing on a precipice waiting to free fall into the abyss of self discovery; waiting, to embark on an adventure, the course of which you could not possibly predict, and that you will not know until you’ve boarded your return flight home. The only catch, is that to proceed to this unknown course and free fall, it takes months of planning, applications, and organization to ensure you actually can get to the edge of the precipice. It’s hard to convey, but it’s kind of like planning something that according even to IES itself is “a life changing experience”, without your life changing until you actually set foot on the plane, not knowing by what means or influenced by what individuals that life changing experience will occur. 

For now, all I know is my suit case, duffle bag, and backpack are packed, and later today, my father will be dropping me off at the airpot to fly to Washington DC, where I will board a plane to Dublin, and finally, step off the ledge into the abyss of the unknown. With my passport in tow I’ll step off the plane in Dublin, Ireland, just a 20 something midwestern girl from Cleveland, Ohio ready to take on Europe and to discover, finally, where the course of my five month adventure will take me.